


Marred Discussion

by MunTiller



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bathing/Washing, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Graphic Description, Hornet can purr and you will take that away from my cold dead hands, Hot Springs & Onsen, I'm Serious, Kissing, Lace is very gentle and caring, Loss of Limbs, Major Character Injury, Mostly Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Scars, Tags Are Hard, absolutely no filth, and Hornet is trying here, but keep that in mind, gets really angsty by the end, i mean not really - Freeform, lesbian bugs, not beta read we die like sleep deprived authors, they are so soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25634611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MunTiller/pseuds/MunTiller
Summary: Spiders had, commonly, eight limbs. Two legs and six arms, but she had realized from the start Hornet had only four of those arms. One of which was missing, replaced by this strange, yet major scar. Now that she was given permission to ask about it, Lace couldn't hold back her curiosity.
Relationships: Hornet/Lace (Hollow Knight)
Kudos: 58





	Marred Discussion

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Them exploring each others' bodies, but not in a sexual way. Finding their different birthmarks, looking over each others' scars and sharing the stories behind them, running their hands over one another and just appreciating the feeling of the other person next to them.
> 
> Important note!!! Characters were written as in human forms, but with some distinctive features (such as Hornet's cold skin and two sets of arms)

"What are you looking at so intensely?" Hornet asked as she sat by the spring's ledge, legs crossed in a stubborn attempt at not touching the water. It was no secret she hated the thing with passion, but something about Lace's persistent pleas for her to come along made her do so, as if in an attempt at compensating for their duel earlier that day; before it was interrupted by people _actually_ trying to kill Hornet.

The air was humid and hot, as expected in a hot spring, which should be enough to make her annoyed and leave and on top of it all she had to take her cloak off and leave it home; not because she wanted to, of course, but it had reached a point if it got a single hit more before getting patched up, it would fall apart completely. That was not something Hornet wanted to happen.

Sure, call her careless, but Hornet had to admit liked to have it around her body, more preferably at all times. It felt like a shield even if it could hold back no hit. She had to look up as Lace laughed at her pout, perhaps mocking her overall seriousness over something so small; Hornet’s eyes narrowed from under the mess of her untied hair as the woman started to swim closer.

"Your scar." Hornet grimaced and looked away as Lace’s soaked arms came to rest over her bare thighs, the feeling a bit agonizing but not at all strange. The only thing preventing her from withdrawing from contact entirely was Lace’s smile, _that damn smile–_ "Can you show it to me?"

Hornet let out a quick, humorless laugh, something mixed with a groan. In a way, the princess understood the curiosity; she hardly went around exposing her body after all. So many of her scars were hidden under her cloak and long clothes, she guessed some of the worst ones could be a sight, even if she did not appreciate them in the slightest. Pulling back the collar of her tank top, she let out a sigh as the heat of the springs helped her warm up her cold skin.

"Are you sure about that? It's not pretty." She looked down at Lace and received a simple nod in response, a patient smile spreading through the woman's face; Hornet decided not to pay attention to the slightly worried tone it carried. Lace was being supportive as always, indeed, but Hornet still had to fight herself for some seconds before finally giving in, finding it a little uncomfortable to talk so openly about something like that. Bothersome, perhaps.

Hornet leaned back on her arms, a sigh leaving her lips before facing up and exposing more of the past injury. It was a very big marking on her skin, going from her left collarbone to the top of her chest on the right side. The hurried stitches she had made when she was younger were barely good enough to heal the skin properly - and who could blame her? She wasn’t expected to take care of those alone -, which left it scarred for life; like a mocking memento of her failures. _Disgusting_ , she thought, but said nothing.

It was flushed slightly red similarly to the rest of her body because of the hot steam surrounding both of them, yet the color in the area was visibly paler than the rest. This one was proof of her worst days, she had to admit albeit a little begrudgingly, yet Lace didn't seem to notice her frustration in the slightest. 

A little astonished if anything, Lace lifted up her hand to touch the scar, making Hornet flinch and look at her. Lace's hand was incredibly warm compared to her skin – Wyrm genes, after all – making Hornet shiver at the difference in temperature. Apologizing in slight fear of making the spider uncomfortable, Lace withdrew her hand in a flash, but Hornet merely shook her head before looking up again, scratching the back of her neck.

"Your skin is too warm, you scared me." Lace laughed at that as she apologized once again, this time in a more light hearted tone. Leaning more over Hornet's legs as she lifted her arm once again to touch her skin, she first booped the spider on the nose before trying again. The spider grumbled as she fought a smile, a little less annoyed at the soaking contact, but still determined to keep her serious facade.

Going over the marking, Lace could feel the small, patterned bumps of the stitches over the semi-healed surface as she carefully caressed it, as well as some rough patches of burned skin, small enough as to be unnoticeable to the eye, but not to the touch of a skilled caretaker. With a hum, Lace's hand trailed down the edges of it, making Hornet look down once again; she had found another scar just by her left upper chest, this one smaller and better taken care of, clearly more recent.

"How many do you have?" She asked as her eyes met Hornet's, tracing her fingers absentmindedly through the outlines of the lighter skin. There was a curious glint in her eyes, one that made Hornet pause for a second or two, staring as she looked for an answer, before shaking her head.

"I don't count." She whispered and Lace’s eyes were cast downward, perhaps blaming herself for making a stupid question. She could only nod in understatement, imagining the princess to have too many to keep track of.

"Do you?" 

It was Lace’s time to pause, looking up in brief confusion.

She shivered slightly as Hornet took her hand and brought it up slightly. Hornet caressed her palm with a thumb, the hand finally free from the white gloves Lace wore everywhere, revealing a deep scar on the dark skin. It was small, but noticeable, a little marking over the palm that had a mirroring one just by the left side of the back of her hand; the tissue had most certainly been pierced with a heavy weapon here, and Hornet couldn’t help but feel her stomach drop a little at the idea of such injury. Hornet prized her own hands for their skill, after all, she had no idea what she would do if they got injured.

She sighed, and placed a kiss at the marking. Her eyes turned to Lace, just in time see her open a small smile, and Hornet couldn't help but open one of her own. It was a good feeling, and so she did it again, and this time Lace let out a quiet chuckle. Some time passed before both came out of this careful trance, and as always, Lace was the first. She sighed.

"Twelve. I keep a very close track of them." She lowered her head to rest on Hornet's thighs, refraining from pulling her arm back. Her hair bun was messy enough to fall apart as she did so, and the small pin shaped to resemble the cult's crest fell into the water. With an annoyed hum, Lace pulled back to go retrieve it, failing to see the slightly disappointed expression over her lover’s face as she had to let go.

"That's… a lot of them." Hornet crossed her arms as she watched Lace go underwater for some seconds, before coming right up with a gasp. Her hair was all over her face, and Hornet chuckled as Lace came closer with the thing in hands, putting it down by Hornet's side, leaning on her leg. The spider had no real complaints about it, if she could see her lover with her hair down then she would never even open her mouth to say a bad thing. The sight was pleasant after all, who was she to complain?

Hornet lifted her hands to help her push the hair away from her eyes, and she yelped as Lace took the opportunity to splash some water on her direction. _'Traitor…'_ She muttered as she used her shirt to dry her arms, and Lace merely blew her a kiss in response. 

"You say that's a lot, but you have many more. I can see it quite clearly." Lace looked up with a small smile, a finger trailing circles on the spider’s thigh absentmindedly. "I suppose you win in this case."

"I don't call this a win." Hornet leaned forward in an attempt of staying closer to her lover, to no avail as she realized she would have to get into the water to get the proximity she desired. Hornet grumbled a curse under her breath, leaning back once again as she crossed her arms. "This is not a competition, I would rather have none."

"That is understandable." Lace chuckled, lowering herself into the water until half of her head was under the surface. She narrowed her eyes as Hornet let out a huff, before smiling and coming closer once more, reaching out for the princess' hands.

"Alright, come in, you've stayed long enough out there." Hornet groaned, and Lace tilted her head at the pleading look in her lover’s eyes, but made sure to stay firm. She knew very well her little spider wasn’t kidding. With a sigh, Hornet relented and got up, heading to a further away corner where they had decided to leave their things, preferably the ones that weren't supposed to get wet. She paused, hesitating for a moment.

Lace opened a patient smile as Hornet took some seconds before undressing, unsure whether it could be out of nervousness or simply embarrassment at being nude. She lowered herself underwater for some seconds as Hornet folded her clothes neatly and left them by hers, their weapons both leaning against the wall in a sorry state each, waiting to be fixed and polished.

As Hornet got in, a shiver running up her entire body at the striking opposing temperature, she immediately moved to the shallow end of the spring and sat down, leaning back at a wall. Her eyes followed Lace’s movements carefully, unintentionally similar to the gaze of a predator, but the woman in question paid no mind to it, instead worrying about picking up a soap from the bottom of the spring. It was thankfully not lost in the water like last time and soon enough, Lace was already sitting by her side.

"Your arm, please." She hummed in a cheery voice, eager to care for Hornet’s most certainly new scar, a deep cut that went from her left elbow to middle forearm. But instead of giving her arm, Hornet hid it behind herself, shaking her head stubbornly.

"You have been here longer, you should get out soon or you'll get dizzy with all the warmth." She said as she took the slippery thing from the woman's hands, a small pout reaching Lace's lips as she seemed ready to protest. She seemed to hold back, however, knowing better than to argue; stubbornness seemed to be part of the spider’s blood, after all.

"Very well, dear." Lace turned her back to Hornet - something she would have never done a month ago, certainly - and straightened her body to make the process easier and faster. Hornet was thankful she turned away, as the small struggle she had with keeping the soap between her claws went unnoticed, and only once she managed to grasp the thing did she get to work, a small, yet proud smile reaching her lips.

She started first by cleaning Lace’s shoulders and upper back, washing away the soap with handfuls of water bit by bit. Once done with that, she went to clean her arms and was surprised by a sweet hum reaching her ears. Unintentionally, heat rose up to Hornet’s already flushed cheeks, making them even redder as she realized how close they were, and she had to shake her head to push away the embarrassment. Lace laughed softly, bringing up a hand to cover her mouth.

“So caring, my little spider.” There was a sad yet intriguing tone coming through her voice, but Hornet decided to pay no mind to it, instead humming in acknowledgement. “To think less than a month ago these hands sought my demise, and now I can’t help but wish to hold them.”

Hornet leaned forward, forgetting her embarrassment for a second or two as she pushed Lace’s hair away with a hand while placing a kiss to the back of her neck. There was a sense of pride and happiness reaching her chest as she felt the woman squirm under her grasp, an unintentional chuckle leaving her lips, and she did it again, only to receive even more laughter.

“Hornet, please…” Lace held her arms as they wrapped around her middle, looking back with a grin. Hornet smiled, nuzzling up against her neck for a moment more, before getting back once again to continue her task. She gathered the soap on her claws, again suffering for some seconds to hold it, and this time she blushed as Lace giggled, cheeks heating up once again under her gaze.

Hornet shook her head, signing for Lace to turn around again with her finger, and the woman did so with a lighthearted nod, a smile gracing her lips beautifully. 

As Hornet helped cleaning the spots Lace couldn’t reach, she refrained from letting her eyes trail down out of respect, but they eventually did it nonetheless. Perhaps because of the steam or lack of proximity, Hornet had failed to notice a very big scar, and her curiosity peaked. 

At the woman's lower back, right at the middle, there was a big, burned patch of skin that with time healed up to become slightly rougher to the touch. There were seemingly markings of previous scars under it, of which disappeared under this absolute mess of a hit, and Hornet couldn’t put into words how painful it must have felt by simply seeing it. She felt a slight stinging feeling over her own back, and she shivered.

Brushing her hands over it, smearing it with soap, Hornet put some of her focus aside to look up. "Tell me about this one?" She felt Lace tense at the question.

There was a moment of silence between the two.

"Do you… want to know?" Her voice seemed hesitant, and Hornet regretted making the question in the first place almost immediately. She shook her head as she looked away, gathering more soap on her hands as she started spreading it over Lace's back.

"Not if you don't want to tell me." Hornet looked down and Lace looked back at her with a small smile on her lips, seeming almost thankful, but Hornet knew she didn’t like to keep many secrets. The spider went back to her task at hand, lowering her head a little as she focused once more, trying her best to get rid of some persistent dirt she'd found. 

In truth, she was just trying to appear busy - the embarrassment too big to bear face to face -, but Lace didn't need to know that. For some reason Hornet felt like she already did.

A weak sigh left Lace's lips before she looked down, a bit of reluctance carrying through her voice. "They were a renegade of the church, a very skilled one much like you." She felt a shiver as Hornet's hand went over a sensitive spot on her skin, the scar not really old enough to be numb yet.

There was a pause as Hornet took a moment to brush her fingers through the bumps of burned skin, thinking. She… should have expected this, but she didn't, and she hated being taken off guard.

"I see." She mumbled, and for a moment she was quiet as she decided to focus better on what she was doing; her claws were sharp, and she didn't want to give Lace a thirteenth scar. There was a slight tint of hesitation on her voice once she spoke up again. "Were? What happened to them?"

"The higher ups kept a secret, I don’t know." Lace shook her head as she looked down, voice becoming a little less cheerful than what Hornet was used to hearing all the time. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, pulling it towards her chest so it wouldn't get smeared with soap as well. "Which is why I don't want you getting involved with them. I would rather know what happened to you than be left in the dark forever."

Hornet paused for a moment, facing up. There was a strange type of hesitation in her eyes, as if in a mix confusion and defiance, with perhaps a tint of hurt. Lace was thankful she had learned how to read the woman's expressions so well over time, as it felt like she was discovering a little treasure under each cold gaze, and for a moment, she smiled.

"Now, don't look at me like that." She chuckled as Hornet huffed, crossing her arms.

"I… can take care of myself, Lace." Hornet lowered her gaze as she started gathering water on her palms once again. Lace could only nod as she looked back, tilting her head slightly to the side as the water took away all the soap from her skin, the feeling refreshing to her.

"I never said you couldn't, dear, but they are tougher than they look. Much tougher." She leaned back and put a hand to Hornet’s neck, smiling at how the temperature of her skin was finally rising - be it out of embarrassment or because of the environment -, and she kissed her cheek. "Be careful."

Hornet froze for a second, blushing a little before looking down and turning her gaze somewhere else entirely. She cleared her throat as she shifted in place, cheeks reddening even more as she nodded. Lace shifted to sit on her knees as she turned to Hornet, a grin resting on her lips.

"Very well, you've had your fun, now it's my turn." She took the soap from the spider’s hands with little to no struggle and brushed it over her slightly injured shoulder, cleaning an early cut that had already healed up entirely. Hornet rested her arms on her thighs as she leaned over to rest her head on Lace's shoulder while she cleaned the cut on her arm as well. "You're filthy."

_"Oh am I?"_ Hornet grumbled in brief annoyance, perhaps a little offended by the comment, but made no further protests. As Lace spread the soap and its small bubbles throughout her skin, Hornet shifted once again to sit down more comfortably, legs crossed. The water on this shallow end of the spring couldn't reach much further than her stomach, and she shivered as a breeze passed through.

Lace chuckled as she felt the slight change in the woman's skin. She spread the soap through her chest and collarbones, making sure to be careful with the sensitive spots around her body, as she would like to keep her hands. Hornet had pointed those out earlier, the 'red zones', where she would certainly attack absentmindedly if touched. Not that Lace needed to know, of course, she took care of her kind for a long time, she was aware already; but she appreciated the intention nonetheless, and she couldn’t help but look at it with fondness. To think the citadel called her little spider a mindless monster, _huh._

As her hands left the woman's neck, she realized Hornet had started shaking, but hadn't even opened her mouth to complain. This wasn't a good sign - the spider had much to learn about valuing herself more, for starters -, but Lace said nothing, thinking about taking her to a deeper side of the spring so she wouldn't freeze and get grumpy.

She chuckled at the mental image.

A little quicker than before, Lace lowered her hands to gather a bit of water so she could get rid of the soap and dirt, but before she could do so, the spider seemed to have had enough of the cold. Hornet dived into the deep parts of the pool like a thunderbolt. 

Lace froze for a second, taken aback by such speed she had never seen out of battle, and she squealed as water flew over her direction, bringing her arms up in an attempt of protecting herself from this accidental attack.

"Hornet!" She laughed as the woman in question emerged from the depths of the spring looking like a regretful little grub, perhaps having reconsidered her decision of diving in a little too late. Hornet held a frown on her lips that Lace would certainly never forget, but thankfully her shaking seemed to be gone.

"I… regret doing that." Hornet whispered as the other woman recollected herself and came swimming towards her with a laugh. She was thankful she could reach the ground here, and stand, as she wasn’t exactly in the mood for swimming. As Lace placed a hand on her waist, she shifted her weight from leg to leg, groaning in annoyance.

"I can tell." Lace placed a careful kiss on her cheek once again, coming closer in an embrace Hornet welcomed with ease. Her hands came up to push away messy white strands of hair all over the woman’s face, and Hornet blew away one Lace hadn’t gotten to yet, making both laugh. 

As Lace pushed her hair away, Hornet lowered her hands towards her back, caressing the skin carefully as not to scratch it with her claws, and she eventually let her head fall against the woman’s shoulder; rendering her work useless, she opened a hidden smile. Lace sighed as she flashed a grin, muttering a quick _‘oh, really?’_ and deciding instead to take care of some of the knots on the lower base of Hornet’s hair, thinking about washing it later once cuddle time was over. 

“You’re soft, my little spider.” Came her voice in a whisper, making Hornet shiver as she did her best not to comment on that. She hugged Lace more strongly and further hid her face on her neck, grumbling something. Lace chuckled, kissing her temple one, two times, pleased by a hum that left Hornet's throat seemly like a purr. How cute.

"Should we go back to our little talk?" She questioned as her hands lowered to do the same as the woman's, to caress her back with feathery touches, drawing sighs from one another. She felt Hornet tense briefly under her touch, most certainly unused to such tenderness in a way that frustrated Lace quite deeply, before relaxing once again; no fussing over this, Lace thought, as she would make sure to spoil her little spider rotten until it grew on her, certainly.

"You said last." She felt Hornet's claws starting to draw patterns on her skin, making her shiver even if mostly covered by warm water. "My turn; you can ask." 

Lace nodded quite pleased to know a bit more about her lover, leaning her head weakly over her temple as she looked ahead, thinking about what to ask; from which marking would she learn another story today? Absentmindedly, Lace started humming a tune she had learned at the church as her hands trailed the scars on Hornet's back; feeling, mapping.

Her fingers eventually came to brush over a sensitive patch of skin on Hornet's upper back, right under her right shoulder blade, where a nasty and big cut had been made and hastily sutured, making it almost impossible for the skin to heal properly and cover the stitching. She felt over the patterned bumps once again like she had done before, but this time she knew this marking to be much more serious and traumatizing than the previous, as she could tell there was supposed to be a limb here, one very important.

She had noticed it before, of course, it was impossible not to see even when hidden by a cloak, but who was she to ask back then? Now that she was given permission to question it, she took it for granted with ease, perhaps way too carelessly. Unintentionally, her mind came to think about what she already knew about Hornet’s kind.

_Spiders had, commonly, eight limbs. Two legs and six arms, but she had realized from the start Hornet had only four of those arms. One of which was missing, replaced by this strange, yet major scar._

"Can you… tell me about this one?" Her voice came like a whisper, as if she wished to know a secret no one else knew, and for a second she could feel the Hornet tense more than ever before, her nails stopping the patterns altogether and coming to press a little more strongly against her back, thankfully not enough to hurt. 

A little worried, Lace gave the warrior time to think, to refuse her request if needed, perhaps to even push her away entirely, and after some seconds of no response her worry grew bigger. Before she could apologize for asking, however, Hornet’s grip weakened noticeably and Lace could feel a silent, shaky sigh against her skin. Instinctively, she pressed a light kiss at the spider’s temple, hoping to help her relax.

"It was me being reckless, and stupid." The bluntness carrying through her tone took Lace off guard, and for a moment she was stunned, but decided to stay quiet about it.

She was used to that, Hornet had always been straightforward with her opinions, even if it hadn’t been her to confess her feelings first. Everyone lied or omitted a fact at some point, of course, and Lace knew this was Hornet’s lone case, as her bluntness came back as soon as the lie was found out. She had never been one to sugarcoat things ever since, Lace couldn’t recall what she had expected.

Determined to make the woman comfortable such as before, noticing her tense shoulders and cold expression, Lace pulled out from the hug briefly. They both met eyes, and Lace could notice how dead Hornet’s looked so suddenly; They seemed strangely glassy, unfocused. As Hornet looked down, Lace brought a hand to her chin, and the spider looked up on her own; hesitant.

Hornet - perhaps waking from a vivid nightmare disguised as a pathetic flashback - tilted her head almost unnoticeably, and Lace gave her a warm look, the corner of her lips tilting upwards lightly. She took Hornet's hands in hers and kissed her palms carefully, minding each mark she would learn about later. Once she felt like the woman had relaxed even if a very small amount, she pulled her lover towards the shallow side of the spring once again, sitting her down.

"What happened?" She sat by her side, intertwining their hands in a careful touch as Hornet shook her head, still looking as hesitant as before. Before Lace could tell her to ignore her question once again, Hornet frowned, remembering something she wanted to forget with passion. Bothered, her hands pressed hard against her own thighs, making deep discolored dents under her fingers almost absentmindedly, and she looked down.

There was another major moment of silence, of which Lace spent caressing Hornet's hand in hopes of helping her even if briefly. Their eyes met as the spider looked up, eyes more focused than before. A chill ran up Lace's spine, as it felt like she was back at the first time they saw each other; staring at that look of emptiness she had grown so unused to by now, and hoped silently to never see again. That same look she couldn’t read no matter how hard she tried, as if looking at a bottomless dark pit and hoping to see an exit. 

Hornet tilted her head, looking away. "I threw myself at a battle I wasn't supposed to win." She whispered and Lace frowned slightly, finding it somewhat difficult to imagine.

The spider's judgment had always been the best, so it was difficult imagining it getting something so wrong it resulted in a missing limb that did not grow back. Yet, Lace found herself unable to question any further. Curious to know more, she wanted to ask what exactly happened, but she wasn’t insensitive to the point that even common sense had abandoned her; she knew it was a touchy topic, therefore Lace kept her mouth shut. 

Hornet clicked her tongue in annoyance as she stared down, a hand coming to rest over her own shoulder, fingers feeling the bumps over her own skin. "I lost, of course, and I paid accordingly."

The two kept silent for a brief moment, processing the situation at hand; to Hornet, it felt like a moment of respite she didn't know she needed; At least then she could try to recollect her thoughts. And to Lace a second or two reserved to formulate words, be them of comfort or distraction, or perhaps another question entirely to diverge from the topic at hand. Lace wasn’t sure what to say.

"Now, don't be so harsh with yourself." She leaned forward as she cupped a hand full of water, letting it fall over Hornet's shoulder and wetting her hair; perhaps a distraction would be the best now, but she somehow couldn't think about any other topics to discuss; damn it. Hornet hummed in slight discomfort as the water slid down her skin, frowning more deeply, but made no further complaints as Lace gradually started cleaning her hair. "Were you young?"

Hornet nodded, shifting in place to turn her back to her, making the whole washing ordeal easier. Instinctively, her hand came to hover over the spot where she was supposed to have another arm, like she had done hundreds of times before, and she couldn’t hold back a sigh. A sad, grievous one. One like many others, certainly; her voice was full of disappointment. "Barely eleven."

Lace's hands stopped, taking a second to do nothing more than hold Hornet's hair carefully. Such a young age, a for a moment she sat there open-mouthed; if this was how children were treated back at the spider's kingdom, then Lace was sure she would never wish to visit it. 

Even in Pharloom - as hellish as this place could be - children were protected at all costs; certainly, they were valued beyond the simple "must protect" instinct most parents felt. They were shielded in fights and gatherings, no warrior would ever dare to hurt one if looking forward to having another day. Being hurt so bad so young was, at best, a rare occasion that would happen once a year, of which the news would spread far and the culprits found quickly. Lace was… stunned.

Those people, they regretted their decisions the moment they were made, was that not… normal on other kingdoms? The idea made Lace's stomach turn, and she had to take a deep breath. Perhaps she could ask later about it, yes? This was not the moment to star questioning the morality of her dear lover’s home.

Shaking her head, Lace sighed as she pulled some loose strands of hair away from Hornet's face, wetting it more until it started clinging to the skin. She took a moment to rest her hands on the spider’s shoulders, feeling the previously stiff muscles now more relaxed, yet not at all free of the tension. She hummed, and carefully pressed her fingers against the hardest points, massaging the skin in hopes of helping Hornet relax more. She smiled quite satisfyingly as a sigh left the woman's lips and she felt her shift in place under the feeling; oh Lace certainly couldn't wait to spoil her lover rotten, now. She had so much to see.

"Then it was not your fault. You didn't know any better, don't blame yourself like this." She found her voice after some seconds, and she could feel Hornet's muscles tensing under her touch once more, again working to soften them with her fingers quite carefully. Hornet's back straightened, and they both could hear a low pop that made Lace shake her head with a reluctant smile, her hands backing up for a moment. "You were just a little child… and children need people to look after them."

Lace frowned as Hornet seemed to press her hands a little tighter against her thighs once again; perhaps she had said the wrong thing? Oh well, she wasn’t always the best with words. Hornet took a deep breath, head tilting down for a moment, before it came up once again, eyes closed. Her hands were shaking.

Lace paused with a hum, letting her hands fall down, but soon enough lifting one to rest against the middle of Hornet's back. The woman looked back briefly, and Lace couldn’t help but lean forward to place a kiss on the side of her neck, making her redden and look away. Her skin was warm now, soft as it could ever be when littered with mementos of previous battles, and it suddenly became obvious that Hornet was fighting a faint smile, so small Lace could have continued without noticing it; she was thankful she did.

"I'm sorry for asking you about it, my little spider." Lace smiled sadly as her arms went around Hornet's middle, her palm opening as a hand came to rest over it. They both interlocked fingers as Hornet looked down, caressing Lace's palm with a feathery touch, and the woman rested her chin on her lover’s shoulder. A sigh left Lace’s lips as she closed her eyes. "I won't do so again, not until you are comfortable with it."

Hornet frowned at that, looking back with tired eyes. Lace was right, she was not comfortable with it, but it shouldn't mean she couldn’t ask questions, no. The last thing Hornet wanted was to silence her, certainly. The mere thought of it made her stomach turn in a way it shouldn't. 

There was a small cloud of steam around them both as the breeze from outside provided the only noise around the place; seamless, continuous, it brought some kind of peace to Hornet’s chest, and she leaned back into the embrace. No she didn’t begrudge Lace for asking about that, she could never, not even during her harshest days where stress ruled over sentimentality and whatever else it brought into the mix. Lace said it the best, she was just a child, and a grieving one at that. To blame herself for lashing out was nothing but senseless and cruel.

Ah, as she stopped to think about it, it was no wonder she wished to keep herself close to Lace now. At least here - inside of this little bubble of theirs - she wouldn't need to look at the ones she'd killed again and again as they got up, hypnotized by empty promises of a forgotten goddess. No, all she had to look at right now was her, and her soft nature and glow that illuminated her path more than the light of any pale being ever did.

And Hornet knew, of course, that this wouldn't last forever, and that soon she would need to face her own demons alone; but who cared? She certainly didn’t, and so she chose to immerse herself in this comfort all the same, to perhaps have a taste of what she had lost so long ago. To see, clearly, what could have been.

This warmth, this sweet flavored stillness submerged in peace, happiness, like a layered candy she could barely imagine the taste; a forbidden knowledge. How long would this last until the time came for her to suffer again? To perhaps pay for crimes she couldn’t recall ever committing? She had no idea.

Hornet let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding, and for a moment her chest weighted more than ever before. She became aware, finally, that she was starting to understand such 'forbidden knowledge', even if it wasn’t supposed to last long. She paused, perhaps in disbelief as the impossible unfolded right before her eyes, and for a moment she leaned back a bit, looking up.

"You don't… you don't need to be sorry, you didn't know." Her voice sounded croaky, and Hornet could feel her throat tightening, eyes burning as she blinked twice as more. Lace saw it, too, and her embrace became stronger, looking at her over her shoulder, eyes full of worry. "I let you ask, too… it's not your fault." 

This proximity, to feel someone else's presence near and feel safe, was that how life was supposed to be all along? What this feeling the exact thing she had been missing for years? 

One single wall of hers broke, and she couldn’t hold back a sob anymore.

She blinked and her vision became blurry, breathing becoming suddenly harder as her body started shaking. Lace let go of her as the tears started flowing one by one, and Hornet became worried as she got up, imagining Lace to be leaving her behind for her weakness, only for her to sit down in front of her again.

Lace brought her hands up to hold Hornet's cheeks, and they felt _warm_ ; not threatening, not distant, but careful, gentle. A feeling so strange yet not at all unfamiliar. And for a moment Hornet couldn’t help but crucify herself for not seeing it sooner, for neglecting the one she supposedly loved so much to the point where she hadn’t even realized what was happening.

Lace smiled at her, a sweet smile just as gentle as her touch, and Hornet felt her chest warm up, the tears becoming stronger. Graced by such inexplicably rare sight, Lace leaned in and left a kiss on the spider’s forehead, feeling as if even if it was little, it would help convey how much she cared. Because it was what she believed her lover needed the most now, someone who cared, and she certainly did.

"I'm proud of you, I really am." Lace said as her fingers brushed against the spider’s skin, wiping away the tears with feathery touches. "You should be as well. Every day you win another battle, no matter how small."

And the expression Hornet held could only confirm her suspicions further. Lace didn't need to know her very well to see her lover valued herself very little, even before their relationship had become this peaceful she had noticed, only refraining from using it to her advantage out of respect. In the end, as they grew on each other, she knew this would have to be addressed sooner or later, but it became difficult as Hornet kept climbing and becoming known.

"I…" Hornet looked up for the smallest of moments, and Lace’s lips tilted upwards so lightly she could have hardly noticed it over the blurriness of her eyes. Shakily, she nodded, hands coming up to rest over Lace's wrists almost weightlessly. "I'll try, Lace, I'll try…"

And to Lace that was more than enough, to her that was already everything she wanted. For Hornet to try, try and love herself a bit more, refrain from being so reckless all day long and to think, even if for a second, about how far she had come. About how she, after everything that had happened, managed to still become the powerful warrior she was.

And perhaps, if she still had the time for it, to think about that one heart she stole effortlessly on the way, one from an enemy she was supposed to hate from the start.

With a nod, Lace came closer as her hands lowered down to rest over Hornet's shoulders, and the spider in question lowered her head into the side of her neck. Lace's hands came up to push away the hair over Hornet's face, and she placed a kiss on her temple. There was a moment of silence between the two, rocking from side to side, before Lace was startled by a vibration coming from Hornet's chest. 

_Purring._

As if she couldn’t become any cuter.

Hornet came closer, as close as she realistically could without climbing into Lace's lap, and she hugged her with a shaky grip, almost hesitant. She purred a little louder as Lace’s arms went around her middle, trying her best to convey her feelings using anything else except words, and Lace seemed to understand it the best she could.

"You are a blessing, my little spider." Lace whispered as she caressed Hornet's back, feeling over each one of her scars, each marking she would learn about some other day much like this one. Her nails drew patterns over the skin, words in a language the spider couldn’t ever recall learning, and she shivered. "The biggest of all there are."

And even if Hornet herself couldn’t believe that now, Lace would make sure she would one day. One day, after learning how beautiful the world could be, how amazingly each feeling could feel and how mesmerizing a life could become no matter where it came from or what it went through, Lace would say it again. Once Hornet leaned it all, then Lace would tell her, she would show her how beautiful she was in comparison to it all, and then she would believe it. 

She would believe, certainly, that she was the biggest blessing of all. It was very long plan, but Lace was patient, and she didn't mind waiting in the slightest.

Hornet’s purr subsided as she closed her eyes in a tired bliss, and Lace sighed contently.

**Author's Note:**

> This got way longer than I was expecting, and my slowpoke ass has been working on it for 2 months -_- either way, I really like how it turned out, this is one of my best pieces I think, and I hope you enjoyed it as well.


End file.
